The Cochrane lab use the tools of organic synthesis and molecular biology to to develop new antimicrobial compounds and targets. Our current research interests includes the synthesis of novel antimicrobial and anticancer peptides. This allows us to determine their bioactivity and how they exert their therapeutic effect. We also develop new tools to study bacterial glycolipid-processing enzymes. These are an interesting class of enzymes that process lipid-linked substrates and several are current or potential antibiotic targets.